Work Text:
Shien is the one who breaks the silence of the evening.
"You're leaving for the city, aren't you?"
Roberu's first instinct was to lie. Divert his attention with something else, maybe a laugh and about how they're going to get in trouble if a cop caught them riding a bike like this. ("But I've done it plenty of times with Oga and we never got in trouble!" "That's because Oga is taller than all of the policemen here so they're too intimidated--")
But Shien isn't stupid, far from it. It wasn't a secret anyway, not after Miyabi caught wind of it. He was a wonderful person, bless his heart, but keeping something under wraps was never his forte. So he leans back a little against Shien's back as they ride, his eyes trailing to the river beside them.
"Yeah." He was. He'd already decided that a long time ago. He had his own dreams, but no matter how he looked at it, there was no way he could achieve it here. It was time to spread his wings and fly into the world beyond his hometown.
(He remembers Rikka saying the same thing, a cryptic answer of "I want to spread my songs to the world", as he slung his guitar on his back, his grip on the strap knuckle-white as he smiles faintly.
He'd found it odd at the time, but now, Roberu thinks he gets it.)
He holds his breath, counts to ten, waiting for the other shoe to drop. But all he hears is the occasional rattling from the handlebars, and the distant sounds of the cicadas. The quiet puffs of air Shien makes as he pedals forward.
"You'll come back to visit, though, right?"
"Of course."
"Then that's fine." Shien says, "I'll miss you when you go though."
(His voice is quiet, softer than usual. Roberu wonders if Shien realizes it himself.)
He's heard that plenty of times, from friends and family alike, and he'd laughed it off with a smile and reassurance.
But this time...as he stares up into the darkening sky, with the warmth of Shien's back against his, a sudden dull (but increasingly familiar) ache spreads through his chest, heat prickling behind his eyes.
The words linger on the tip of his tongue. If he wanted to, he could let them go. Release them into the heat of summer's end.
"...Robesan?"
"Shien, I..."
He's going to miss this town. He's going to miss messing around with Temma and Astel, arguing all the way to the convenience store (while willingly ignoring...whatever that was going on with them). He'll miss the way Aru-sen's face contorts with exasperation, Miyabi doing his best not to burst out laughing. All these memories, all of these, he'll carry in his heart forever.
But if he was honest, if he answered from the very bottom of his heart...what the most important thing is...
Shien, waiting for him at the gate, his tail betraying his eagerness as he tries to keep a straight face. Shien's annoyed face as he pushes a second bento in his hands. Shien's smiling face, standing in front of his house with fresh fruit, because "You've got to keep your strength up, Robesan! What if you fall sick before the exams because you keep chugging Red Bull for breakfast and skipping meals!?"
Shien, who barged into his life one day and turned it upside down. Shien, who in less than a year, managed to find a place in Roberu's territorial heart. Shien, who became someone irreplaceable to him. Cherished.
Beloved.
"...Mm. I'll miss you too."